Clockwork movement



March 8, 1966 H. HAUSHEER 3,238,712

CLOCKWORK MOVEMENT Filed Aug. 5, 1964 United States Patent 3,238,712CLOCKWORK MOVEMENT Hermann Hausheer, Neuchatel, Switzerland, assiguor ofone-half to Maurice Jacot-Guillarmod, Neuchatel, Switzerland Filed Aug.3, 1964, Ser. No. 386,830 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Aug.15, 1963, 10,088/63 4 tClaims. (Cl. 58-59) The driving member oftime-pieces is generally constituted by a bent coil spring wound round aspindle inside a barrel. The size of said barrel in the plane of themovement is limited by the outer size of the movement and by thepresence of the gearwork and of the balance. The elastic limit of thealloy serving for the execution of said springs and also its restrictedsize prevents such a driving member from storing any large amount ofenergy.

It has been attempted to replace inside the barrel the bent spring by :atorsion spring of a helical shape, but the small size of the barrel hasnot allowed giving such a driving spring a favorable efficiency.

In other structures, a coil spring is fitted in a groove surroundingthem ovement, while the ends of said spring are respectively fittedinside the groove and secured to a lever acting through a catch on thegearwork of the watch. The reduced circular cross-section of the wireserving for the execution of the spring and the very large frictionexerted against the Wall of the groove have not allowed substitutingadvantageously such a driving member for the conventional arrangement.

My invention has for its object a watch incorporating a source of energyconstituted by a helical spring of the type formed by a blade showing arectangular cross-section, and the winding axis of which coincides withthe axis of the movement. According to my invention, said spring ishoused inside an annular rotary barrel located at the periphery of saidmovement.

I have illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing apreferred embodiment of my invention. In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front view of the movement,

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional side view thereof.

The embodiment illustrated includes a central section containing thegearwork of which the center wheel 1 only is illustrated while theescapement and the spiral balance spring are not illustrated. Thesedifferent parts are carried inside a cage the periphery of which isprovided with an L-shaped groove 2 defined by a flat lateral surface 3and a cylindrical bottom wall 4.

The driving member is constituted by a helical spring 5 formed by ablade the cross-section of which is rectangular, the longer side of saidcross-section being perpendicular to the axis round which the spring iswound. Said spring is carried inside an annular barrel the U-shapedcross-section of which opens outwardly with reference to the side wallof the movement and is coaxial therewith. The upper flange 6 of saidbarrel is provided inwardly with teeth 7 while its lower flange 8,freely revolvable with reference to the remainder of the barrel, isprovided outwardly with teeth 9.

3,238,712 Patented Mar. 8, 1956 The spring 5 is tensioned by rotatingthe cover to which one end of the spring is secured through the agencyof a winding stem and a speed-reducing gear which are not illustrated.The gearwork is driven by the inner teeth 7 formed in the flange 6 ofthe barrel and a speed increasing gear of which the two gears 10 and 11are illustrated transmits the energy from said barrel to the centerwheel 1 through said gearwork.

The large winding diameter of the spring blade and the torsional stressimparted thereto allow building up round the time piece movement anamount of energy adapted to drive the watch during a long period, orelse, if the spring is wound daily, only a very small fraction of itsexpansion is used, which reduces the modification in torque between thebeginning and the end of the unwinding and improves thus the stabilityof adjustment.

What I claim is:

1. In a time piece the combination of a movement, an annular rotaryperipherally recessed barrel extending round the periphery of themovement and a helical blade having a rectangular cross-section woundround the axis of the movement and housed in the peripheral recess ofsaid barrel.

2. In a time piece the combination of a movement, an annular rotarybarrel having a U-shaped cross-section opening outwardly and extendinground the periphery of the movement and a helical blade having arectangular cross-section wound round the axis of the movement andhoused in the U-shaped periphery of said barrel.

3. In a time piece the combination of a movement, an annularperipherally recessed barrel extending round the periphery of themovement, including two coaxial sections angula-rly revolvable withreference to each other and of which one is provided with a series ofinner teeth coaxial with the barrel, a gearwork controlled by said innerteeth and a helical blade having a rectangular crosssection wound roundthe axis of the movement and housed in the peripheral recess of saidbarrel, the ends of said blade being anchored in the correspondingbarrel sections.

4. In a time piece the combination of a movement, an annularperipherally recessed barrel extending round the periphery of themovement, including two coaxial sections angularly revolvable withreference to each other and of which one is provided with a series ofinner teeth coaxial with the barrel and the other section of whichbarrel is provided with a series of outer teeth coaxial with the barrel,means engaging said outer teeth to turn the corresponding barrel sectionwith reference to the other, a gearwork controlled by said inner teethand a helical blade having a rectangular cross-section wound round theaxis of the movement and housed in the. outer recess of said barrel, theends of said blade being anchored in the corresponding barrel sections.

No references cited.

LOUIS I CAPOZI, Primary Examiner.

LEO SMILOW, Examiner.

GERALD F. BAKER, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A TIME PIECE THE COMBINATION OF A MOVEMENT, AN ANNULAR ROTARYPERIPHERALLY RECESSED BARREL EXTENDING ROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THEMOVEMENT AND A HELICAL BLADE HAVING A RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION WOUNDROUND THE AXIS OF THE MOVEMENT AND HOUSED IN THE PERIPHERAL RECESS OFSAID BARREL.